Solvent for nitro-derivatives of carbohydrates.



ll btili rill) tl'lllrtillllid PiifENT flildiltlllih lVARNER Ul-lltilllUAL COlllPANY, OF CAl-t'lEl-il l'l, Nlfll l" JERSEY, A CUR- PURAJlION OF NEW JERSEY.

@peeification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

Application filed June 13,1904. Serial No. 212,337-

.To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that l, Roeen'r N. RIDDLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Uwchland, Chester county, Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Solvent or Uolloiding Agent for the NitroDerivatives of the Carbohydrate Group, 850., of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in the employment of acetate of phenyl as a solvent or colloiding agent for the nitro-derivatives of the carbohydrate group, &c., which ELCOlELtG of phenyl I have ascertained by experimentpossesses the property of acting a ready solvent or colloiding agent for the class of nitrocelluloses, for nitro-starch, and in general for the nitroderivatives of the carbohydrate group. Acetate of phenyl besides possessing the properties of being insoluble in water and uniniiammable and a perfect solvent for the substances mentioned when used in smaller amounts than required as a solvent gelatinizes or colloids these substances very completely, so that perfectly transparent jellies are obtained, a matter of great importance in connection with the manufacture of smokeless powder.

'lhe process l employ in preparing the acetate of phenyl is as follows, the proportions having been ascertained to be satisfactory by experiment: I take four hundred grams of phenol and put it in a flask provided with a return-condenser and litted with a se1. aratory funnel. The phenol is then heated by any convenient means to 160 l ahrenheit, and then three hundred and thirty-two grams of acetyl chlorid is slowly run in. The mixture is then washed with a solution of carbonate of soda and is ready for use.

in order to gelz'ttinize or colloid the class of nitrocelluloscs, l have ascertained that the following proportions produce a favorable result. lforinstance, l take one gram of nitro cellulose of the kind known as pyroxylin or soluble gnncotton and treat it with three cubic centimeters of acetate of phenyl, the result being that the pyroxylin is perfectly gelatinized.

in order to gelatin ize or colloid nitro-starch, i take one gram of explosive nitrostarch of eleven and foliir-tenths per cent. nitrogen strength and add thereto one and three-tenths cubic centimeters of the acetate of phenyl, the result being complete gelatinization.

lt is a well-recognized fact that all forms of nitrocelluloses and nitro-starch dissolve freely in an excess of those solvents in contact with smaller quantities of which they form colloids directly, and hence the experiments above recited'indicate perfect solvent power of the acetate of phenyl for the nitrocelluloscs and nitro-starch and in general for the nitrodcrivatives of the carbohydrate group. This 1 have verified by experiment and find that both nitrocelluloses and nitro-starch go into perfectly clear thin solution in the acetate of phenyl when the latter is used in sufiicient amount.

.I. have also discovered that the acetate of phenyl mixes readily in clear solution with methyl, ethyl, and amyl alcohols with acetone and with mgr acetate; and my invention also extends to the use of mixed solvent solutions in which acetate of phenyl is an ingredient, there being cases in which it may be thought advisable to use it thus in a mixture for the solvent or gelatinizing effect on the nitrocelluloses and nitro-stm'ch.

'.l.he obvious zulvantagcs of the use of the acetate of phenyl as a solvent and gelatinizing agent when applied to the nitroeelluloses and nitro-starch as we have above described are immability, its slight volatility, (accphenyl boiling at 195 centigrade,) and its freedom from disagreeable or penetrating odor.

l have also discoverml that acetate of phenyl is a ready solvent for fats, gums, resins, lacquers, varnish, etc.

llaving thus described the nature and object of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. As an im 'n'ovemen t in the art of dissolving or colloiding substances, dissolving them in acetate of phenyl or brii'iging them into the colloid state by the addition of acetate of phenyl, substantially as described.

2. As an improvement in the art of dissolving or colloiding the nitro-derivatives of the carbohydrate group, dissolving said nitroderivatives in acetate of phenyl or bringing them into the colloid state by the addition of acetate of phenyl, substantially as described.

3. As an improvement in the art of dissolving or colloiding nitrocelluloses, dissolving the nitrocelluloses in acetate of phenyl or bringing them into the colloid state by the addition of acetate of phenyl, substantially as described.

4. As an improvement in the art of dissolving or colloiding pyroxylin, dissolving the pyroxylin in acetate of phenyl or bringing it into the colloid state by the addition of acetate of phenyl, substantially as described.

5. As an improvement in the art of dissolving or colloiding substances, dissolving said substances in a liquid mixture containing ace tate of phenyl as an ingredient or bringing 

